Wireway or light strip assembly



April 11, 1950 RAUSS 2,503,876

WIRE-WAY OR LIGHT STRIP ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 9, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIREWAY OR LIGHT STRIP ASSEMBLY Carl Krauss, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 9, 1946, Serial No. 646,619

8 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a wire-way or light strip assembly and especially to a novel removable closure, as well as a novel mounting for lamp holders or sockets for fluorescent lighting.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel end plate or closure mounting for a wire-way or light strip assembly comprising a channel-shaped base or strip adapted to be mounted upon the ceiling, side wall or other support wherever it is desired to mount a fluorescent lighting unit, a cover therefor and the present novel end or intermediate plates for supporting the lamp holders or sockets and provided with a novel attaching means whereby these plates may be quickly and easily applied and locked in their proper position, or may be readily removed or disassembled when required.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novel removable closure for wire-ways and various forms of channel members, including raceways for carrying wires, cables or the like.

The invention further comprehends a novel means and manner of quickly mounting and securely retaining a cover plate upon a channel,

raceway or the like.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, eificiency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while there is shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change, and comprehends other details, arrangements of parts, features and constructions without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a. fragmentary view in perspective of a continuous channel or wire-way forming the tit 2 of the type shown in Fig. 2, which is adapted to be mounted upon the channel at one end of the installation.

Fig. 6 is a broken view in side elevation of an installation similar to Fig. 2 but showing a continuous channel and assembly, the lamps and lamp holders or sockets being shown in dotted outline.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the wire-way or light strip assembly of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a disassembled view of the closure plates shown in Fig. 7 for enclosing the continuous channel.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged bottom plan view of one of the cover plates, with the heads of the attaching screws removed to show more clearly the manner of assembly of the closure plate upon the channel, the view being taken in a plane represented by the line 9-9 of Fig. 10.

Fig. 10 is a view in vertical cross-section through the channel and closure plate and taken on the line l0l0 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged view in vertical crosssection taken in a plane represented by the line |l| l ofFig. 7.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged view in vertical crosssection taken in a plane represented by the line l2-l 2 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of a surface raceway employing the novel lock-on or closure plate.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawings and the novel embodiment therein selected to illustrate the invention, the present invention is shown more particularly in connection with a wire-way or light strip assembly consisting of a channel member I, providing a base for one or more fluorescent lamps or luminous tubes 24 and adapted to be mounted in any suitable manner upon the ceiling, side wall or other support. The ends 2 of the opposite sides of the channel are each crimped to form a bead 3 and provided with an inturned flange,4. The crimped portion or bead 3 provides a convenient method for applying a snap-on cover 5, also of channel shape, with its opposite sides or flanges 6 crimped in such manner as to snap on to the crimped portion or head 3 of the channel and thereby provide a convenient method of assembly of the closure upon the channel.

In the prior types of light strip assemblies, the attachable cover is made of a predetermined length and provided at its ends with cut-outs or recesses for mounting the lamp holders or sockets l0. Thus, the cover would necessarily have to support these lamp holders or sockets, the fluorescent or luminescent lamps supported by the latter, the transformer, ballast, etc. Due to the weight of these latter elements, the snapon cover is not satisfactory unless some means is provided to prevent accidental disengagement of the cover from the channel or light strip.

Another distinct disadvantage to such prior constructions is that the ballast or choke coil is supported onIthisrcover; along mm the lamp holders or sockets, and when the cover isremoved these parts and the associated wiring will loosely depend from the end connections. Thus when access is required for repair-orareplacementof any of the enclosed parts, such parts hang loose and are in the way of the electricianaor:repair man. Furthermore, theinreplacement whenthe cover is again attached entails'additional difiiculties in order to align the wires properlyi and prevent them from becoming damaged or pinched between the-channel and cover.

The present. invention eliminates .the above objections and disadvantages in that :the cover. does .not carry-.the lamp holdersor sockets and the lamps or-. tubes1.supportedthereby, but .these are supported upon end or intermediate plates pro- .-v-ided .with-novellocking. means .for locking. onto the continuous channel or light strip. shown, an'intermediate. platefi isprovided with crimped flanges 1', atits oppositesides, a

a tongueor ear 8 at each. endthereof, a cut-out '9 adapted. toreceive and permit projecting therethrough of a pair of lamp holders or socketsiii showninback-tobackabutting relation, an opening ll forastarterfl and a..-pair. ofsubstantially |..-shaped slots-l3- projecting in oppositedirec tions and eachdesiredto receive an attaching screw or bolt I 4 having its shank l 5 projecting through the slots :I3 .and:its.-end.adapted to receive a nut lfivdisposedat .the interior of the plate.

As shown more clearly. in-Figs. Sand 10, these nuts are: preferably. of ,square or polygonal form, and. the slots are. so disposed. and. arranged that when the operator mounts the plate S upon the -ohannelror.= light .strip Land-turns the. screw 14" to retract the .nut. IS, .the turning, of. the. screw in a clockwise direction automatically .causesthe screw andrnut tomove outwardly in the slot 13 andlintothe outerendl 6% thereof.

As shown, one of the screws has' been .tightened and when so tightened,.the nut traveling with'the screw-in the .slot projects over and engages the inner side of the linturned .flange- 4 .On the channel or light strip Land tightly em- :braces the thickness.of-ttheplate 6 and flange' 4 between the head of the screw or bolt and .the

.. nut. It is:further to-beznoted that in this'posiion the.nut,. if ithas any tendency to turn, will abut against :theadjacent side wall of the:ch-annel Land willthus lee-locked against turning i movement.

When the screw or bolt is =loosened asshown end of the slot l3, and in which positionthe nut is spaced inwardly: from. the .flange 4 topermit the plate to bereadily. removed and/or replaced.

In Fig. 5 there is disclosed .a-notherform of plate l1. adapted to be disposedatone end ofithe .channel or. light strip, and provided with the oppositely extending. slots 13, a tongue or lip 8 .at one end only. and a notch orcut-out l8 at the opposite endrfor. receiving. a single lamp holder d or socket Hi. In this form of the invention the slots function in the sam manner as in Fig, 3, and the tongue or lip 8 is inwardly offset or bent in such manner as to overlie the end 19 of the cover '5 for the continuous channel or light strip, and each is provided with aligned openings 20 for receiving a locking screw or bolt 2!. In the form shown in Fig. 3, the tongues, lips or projections 8 are also provided with openings 20 adapt- ;edz toibe'aligned withsimilar openings 20 in the "adjacent ends of the=cover 5 for locking these parts together. It is to be noted that the cover plates or closures 5 bear no weight of the lamp assembly, and, therefore, are securely retained by the snap-on feature, augmented by the screws 21 passing through the aligned opening in the adjacent .portionsof the cover plates 5 and plates ...-:In"Figs. 6, 7 and 8, another form of plate 22 is provided or added to the assembly. This plate is. similar to the .plate I'LeXcept that itisv shown providedwvith;a cut=out -23-through whichmay project a-starter; I2. for thelamp assembly.

-Where .the cover plates 5 are of any considerable length,- theinvcntion .comprehends that the snap-on feature-alone-need notbe relied upon -for.supporting. thecover. In fact, when such cover plates are of. any substantial,- .length the snap-on feature mayebe. .eliminated. "In, either event, two or moretof the. slots .1 t-may-be. provided :and a lockin ortlatchi ng meanswsimilarto that provided.on theplates6 ll and.22.may, be

,in Fig. 6. These .lminoustubesn may-:be. of any ndesired lengthandmayte provided in.,-scries longitudinally 'or .in parallel relation i asv is. vnow the comment practice clnuthe channel or light strip l is provided the usual ballast 25 shown in dotted outline,in Fig..-10, thenecessarystarter l2 having 1 an end-a'projecting through an opening I! or 'Ztas shown in Eigs. 2, 3, 7 and 8,.and the ballast clamping brackets 26 shown. in Fig..10. .These clampingrbrackets are provided with angularlyi disposed legsr onprojections 27 and 28,ea.ch .adaptedto rest upon a/flange lat-the opposite I sides-of thetchannel.oruwirestrip. and with-.the base 29 of thebracket provided with a; clamping screw 39 adapted to seat against a flange Bipro- .jecting from theloase oftthe ballast 25.

. Thenovel zmounting .plates although specifi- :cally referred to .in connection with a wire-Way orlight stripiassembly for fluorescent lamps,v are also admirably.adaptedfortuseina surface raceway '32 of the type shown in Fig.-l3, which may be assembledalongaceiling-wall or other support for carrying 1 the wires or gcables for, supplying current for operating various machinery orpower supply as required. Such prior-(surface raceways are frequently provided with. an elongated, cover which must be removedlwhenever it is desired. to splice lead lines onto the .cables in the. raceways. By thepresentinvention, it is a simple matter to provideat any suitable intervals along the channel 33 a. covered-formed. of sections of any suitable lengthsand between suchsections intermediate closure. plates .35, suitably. spaced apart and which-may .be...readily removedbut.

provided with the novel mounting arrangement shown, in. connection withtheplates 6 I'Land 22. This comprises inwardly. extending flanges .36. On .thepppositesidesof. the .channel. or base 33, slots l3, attaching screws or bolts l4 and nuts l6 for anchoring the closure plates onto the flanges 36. An inwardly bent tongue or lip 31 having a width approximately that of the opening between the edges of the flanges 36 is provided at each end of the closure plates 35 and each tongue or lip is provided with an opening 36 adapted to align with an opening 39 in the adjacent cover 34 for the reception of screws or other attaching or securing means. The tongues or lips 31 are disposed adjacent the edges of the flanges 36 and maintain the latter in spaced relation.

In addition, these plates may be provided with suitable knockouts 4D for facilitating the running of lead lines to the cables 4| enclosed in the channel. Thus, in this construction all that is necessary to secure access to the cables is to remove an adjacent cover 34 by removing the screws in the openings 38 and 39, loosen the screws or bolts [6, and then remove the lock-on plate 35 which at its opposite ends is connected to the covers. Leads then may be spliced to the cables and extend through the opening provided by the knockout 40, after which the cover and closure plates are again assembled and secured in position. Expansion bolts or the like 42 may be employed for hanging or securing the wire-way or surface raceway in position. If desired, the cover plates 34 may also be retained by the present novel attaching means, especially if they are of any considerable length.

The projecting ears or tongues in the various forms of the invention have the added feature of grounding the adjacent parts.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

1. In a light fixture including a lamp holder, a channel-shaped light strip provided with an inturned flange at the opposite sides, a mounting plate for supporting the lamp holder on the light strip, and means for detachably locking the plate upon the inturned flanges of the light strip comprising oppositely disposed and substantially L- shaped slots in the mounting plate adjacent the opposite edges of the plate with a slot positioned adjacent each flange on the light strip, a screw loosely carried in each slot, and a nut carried on each screw at the interior of the plate and adapted to engage an adjacent flange to lock the plate thereon, said slots permitting free movement of the screws and the slots, screws and flanges being so constructed and arranged as to permit the ready removal of the plate when the screws are loosened and moved to one end of the slots away from the flanges, and to cause locking of the plate upon the flanges when the screws are tightened and moved to the other end of the slots.

2. A novel channel and closure assembly, comprising a channel member provided at its opposite sides with an inturned flange, a cover plate therefor adapted to form a closure for the channel, and means for detachably locking the cover plate upon the channel and including a pair of elongated and angularly arranged slots provided in the plate with the outer end of each slot ofiset with respect to the inner end and with such outer end disposed adjacent the flanges, a screw received in each slot and a nut mounted on the screw on the interior of the plate, said slots being so contoured that as the screws are tightened, such rotation causes the screws to follow the contour of the slots and move outwardly whereby the nuts move over and engage and seat against the flanges to thereby lock the plate in position.

3. A novel channel and closure assembly, comprising a channel member provided at its opposite sides with an inturned flange, a cover plate therefor adapted to form a closure for the chan nel, and means for detachably locking the cover plate upon the channel and including a pair of oppositely extending and substantially L-shaped slots provided in the opposite sides of the plate and adjacent the flanges, and a binding screw laterally movable in each slot and provided with a nut on the inner end of the screw for interlocking engagement with a flange when the screw is tightened and moved toward the outer end of its slot.

4. A novel channel and closure assembly, comprising a channel member provided at its opposite sides with an inwardly projecting flange, a. cover plate forming a closure for the channel, and interlocking means for detachably securing the plate on the channel and including a substantially L-shaped slot adjacent the opposite edges of the plate with these slots disposed in opposite relation, and a binding screw loose and movable in each slot and provided with a nut on the inner end of each screw for interlocking engagement with a flange when the screw is tightened and moved toward the outer end of its slot.

5. A novel channel and closure assembly, comprising a channel member provided at its opposite sides with an inwardly projecting flange, a cover plate forming a closure for the channel, and interlocking means for detachably securing the plate on the channel and including a substantially L-shaped slot adjacent each edge of the plate with these slots disposed in opposite relation and each contiguous to a flange on the channel member, and adjustable means carried and freely movable in each slot for interlocking engagement with an adjacent flange.

6. In a light strip assembly, a channel-shaped light stri provided with an external bead and an inwardly projecting flange at its opposite sides, a cover for enclosing the channel through the greater portion of its length, a mounting plate at the opposite ends of the cover for receiving and supporting holders for the opposite ends of a luminous tube, means for connecting an end of the plate to the cover, and means for detachably securing the mounting plates upon the light strip and including an upstanding flange at each side of the mounting plate having a complementary bead for receiving the beads on the light strip and interlocking means for detachably locking the plates to the projecting flanges, said interlocknig means including an elongated and substantially arcuate slot provided in the plates adjacent the opposite edges thereof and with the outer end of these slots disposed adjacent the flanges on the light strip, a binding screw projecting upwardly through and freely movable along each slot and a nut on the inner end of each screw for interlocking engagement with a flange on the light strip when the screw is tightened and moved toward the outer end of its slot.

7. In a light strip assembly, a channel-shaped light strip provided with an inwardly projecting flange adjacent its opposite ends, a cover for enclosing the channel through the greater portion of its length, a mounting plate at the opposite ends of the cover for receiving and supporting a lamp holder for receiving an end of a fluorescent tube, means for securing an end of the mounting plate to an adjacent end of the cover, and means for detachably securing the mounting plates upon the flanges of the light strip including a substantially L-shaped slot in the plates adjacent 1" movable ineach'slot foninterlockingengagement with aflangeon the, lightstripiwhen the, screwh-is tightened end-moved; towardithe outer 'gend of its 13-510).

8.,:I a'light;striprqassemblwa. channeleshaped flange at its-opposite-sides; 2, covervfor enclosing 1;,thea channel through the, a greater. portion iof its length, a mounting plate adjoining the coverzfor receiving and supporting holders forthe oppo- Site ends of; a luminous :tube, means. for joining theflmounting plate to the :cover; and means; for k idetachablyi securing the mounting plate upon'the ;1ight::strip and including-tan upstanding ifiange projecting over the opposite sides-.zofnithe light r;i;strip,:; and means, :for detachabiyAlockingythe,

.-.' imounting plate :on the 1, inwardly, projecting light strip; provided 'withian' inwardly .zprojecting 8 rfianges uofzr the lights-strip;zinoluding a'jn-zelo'natedv 1 slot wadjacent :the :opposite :edgescof the a- 'ipiaite withtthe, outer end of eacb slot 'ofiset' with i'respectito: tl'lE lflIlBI-EBHCI .-and 'with such-"outerend 5 it lPUSitiOHEdGadjaCent'i ai flange of. the light strip, :and a screw andinut carried andfzfreelyamovable agin each-.1 slot for interlocking: engagement with a, :iflan'geionz the light: strip Whenithe screw. is tightirened. :andmoved toward the'outer .end of-zitsslot.

' C'ARLiKRAUSS.

ZREFERENCES;v CITED The following references are of record inthe file of this patent:

15 UNITED STATES v PATENTS i :Number Name Date 890,285 Krantz June- 8, 1908 1,241,735 Holt Oct. 2, 1917 -2,09 0,239 Strang '.Aug. 17;!1937 I 2,199,683 White ':'Ma.y 7, 21940 

